PH-KBX, Fokker 70 | planes this big rarely land on statia
On Friday, November 4th, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and her son Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and his wife Princess Maxima visited the island. It was an exciting experience for everyone and I was beyond thrilled to be a part of the official press!
the queen + guests are welcomed to st. eustatius
Competing with over 40 other members of the press for a good shot was a far cry from the child/family photography that I’m used to and I felt a little out of place with all the experienced Dutch photographers and reporters around me, but it was an incredible learning experience and I loved it!
The day started off around 9:30am when the Queen’s plane landed and the local officials greeted the Royal family. From the airport we went to the newly finished Sports Auditorium. The children from the local schools performed and the Royals mingled with the children afterwards.
Lynch Plantation SDA school singing for the Queen
I must confess, I knew very little about the Dutch Royal family prior to their visit to Statia, but it was fascinating to do some research and learn a little bit more about them over the past few weeks. It was especially interesting to read more about Queen Beatrix’s connection to Canada. 🙂
Randal + the kids talking to Princess Maxima
Randal and the kids chauffered me around for the morning and the next stop on the Queen’s tour was a private reception, so they waited outside until it was finished. Lucky them, the Queen and Prince/Princess walked right past them on their way out! Of all the times in the day to be caught of guard!! I was totally NOT ready with my camera and before I could think I was snapping pictures from behind a group of people, flash still on in the bright daylight. Ahhh! The photos are terrible quality but I’m glad I have something from the moment. Princess Maxima actually stopped to talk to them. She started in Dutch and when Randal told her they were from Canada she started again in English, telling him she remembered seeing them all at the airport when she arrived because she could never forget their beautiful eyes. 🙂 The girls were in awe and cannot get over the fact that they got to meet a real life Princess! She is absolutely gorgeous and she was so very sweet, especially with all the children she met throughout the day.
vehicles transporting the Queen + guests from the Garden
Next it was time to head out to the Miriam C. Schmidt Botanical Garden. I travelled there with a group of other photographers and cameramen/reporters from the NOS. The photo opportunities at the gardens were beautiful, its one of my favorite spots on the island! The Queen sampled some tea/juices made from locally grown fruits, toured the garden and then listened to some local children make a small presentation.
From the Garden I travelled in the Press vehicle to the final stop on the Queen’s tour. A reception was put on by the island Historical Foundation at the museum. It was really nice with a choir, historic Aloei dancers and more. The Queen, Prince and Princess toured the newly constructed 18th Century Blacksmith shop exhibit and then met with local government officials to discuss island affairs.
historical aloei dancers performed for the Queen + guests
After the reception it was time for the Royals to leave. They made their way back to the airport, said good-bye to those who were there and the day was over.
The visit was really nice. It was a full day, scheduled minute by minute and by the end of it I was thoroughly exhausted. But like I said, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I enjoyed it so much! It was so far from the type of photography I’m used to, I felt a little out of place not carrying two cameras around my neck, with gigantic lenses attached. I’ll be sticking to my child/family photography for sure…but it was fun to play Royal paparazzi for the day! 🙂
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Rebecca Cooper is a 42-year-old wife and mother of four from Alberta, Canada. As a photographer, crafter, author, and blogger, she finds joy and fulfillment in celebrating everyday moments. She loves to read and eat chocolate, and is a firm believer in afternoon naps. Rebecca shares her family’s adventures, photo tips, simple craft projects + more right here at Simple as That.
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This is so cool, Rebecca! Your pictures are fantastic! I shared the link with my husband who served a mission in The Netherlands and later did a work internship there. I thought he might be interested. 🙂
How daunting! You captured the visit beautifully. You really did a great job. Congrats!
How lucky! What a wonderful thing to experience! Thanks for sharing!!
How exciting and a great opportunity! Your pictures are great, I love them. 🙂
Beautifully done, I love the shots of the banner flags, garden, fruit, and arrival.
How cool is that, sitting on my couch in Rotterdam the Netherlands reading a engelish blog about our queen. Really funny. I think your photo’s turned out great.
And a little dutch info about princess Maxima, she is by far the most loved royal here in the Netherlands. Everywhere she comes people just love here. It’s funny that you had the same experience.
Again really funny en great to read this post.
With love from Rotterdam,
Marieke
What an awesome experience! One that I’m sure your family will never forget. I’m sure your girls will especially remember that a real life princess complimented their eyes!
oh my goodness, Rebecca, I’m totally jealous!! What an amazing opportunity and I think you did a fantastic job! Remember, not all those press photographers have a scrapbooker’s eye for detail ; )
Beautiful photos! What fun to be able to have this experience before you leave for home! 🙂 And random thought . . . what is it with royals and hats? LOL!
WOW! That is so awesome. What an amazing opportunity for you! So cool that Princess Maxima had to see your girls because of their eyes. They are gorgeous little girls 🙂 Great job on a great day, Rebecca!
seriously how COOL!!!! Great pics!!
I really enjoyed this post. The photographs are wonderful.
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Thanks so much for sharing these photos of an exciting day for you and your family. I live in Ottawa and thoroughly enjoy the Tulip Festival each May (it’s a tradition to head down to Dow’s Lake to see the flowers on my daughter’s birthday which is May 12). Once you’re back in Canada, if you’re ever in Ottawa (for the tulip festival or any other occasion) I would love to hire you to take some family photos.
Wonderful images – Thanks so much for posting them. We lived on Statia from Oct. 09 to April 10 and loved hearing that the Royal Family was going to visit. Glad you got to enjoy it first hand!
Seriously, how did you score that opportunity. How fun! Congratulations!
Nice story! Glad you liked the visit of our royals. And so very special to be part of the “paparazzi” for one day 🙂 We just saw the report of the visit to St. Eustatius on tv, so your pictures were familiar!
@RietRiet, I would love to see the news story…do you think it can be viewed online somewhere?
So awesome!! Your girls will never forget this!! You got some great pictures!
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What an amazing experience!
Rebecca… I rarely comment, but always read your blog. Imagine my pleasure to see pictures of Queen Beatrix on here. My family comes from Holland, I have grown up seeing pictures of the Queen and her family and we seen Maxima marry into the family, etc, etc…
For years we have said that my Mom looks exactly like Queen Beatrix… my dad calls her that, in fact! They will be married for 40 yrs next month.
Anyway, just felt like saying that the Dutch Royals are a classy, classy family. I loved seeing there pictures here… it brought my heritage so much closer to home!
Thankyou! Anita K.
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How cool is that!
How cool is that?!? And to think, I got excited to be invited to a museum exhibit opening! LOL I honestly don’t know much about most of the royal families (with the exception of England), but I love learning new things…this was the perfect excuse for me to soak up some more random knowledge.
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